Rolling toy



Nov. 5, 1957 F. H. BISHOP 2,811,812

1.1.: a TOY Filed April 13, 1956 INVEN F'lznums H. Bus-n? ATTORNEYS United States Patent ROLLING TOY Francis H. Bishop, St. Francis, Kans.

Application April 13, 1956, Serial No. 578,083

1 Claim. (Cl. 46-220) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to an improved toy of the rolling disc type.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved rolling toy which is simple in construction, which is easy to operate, and which enables the operator to develop his coordination and manual dexterity in learning to balance and control the direction of movement of the toy.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved rolling toy which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is durable in construction, and which is valuable in teaching the operator manual coordination and dexterity in controlling the movement of the toy and in steering the toy.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an improved rolling toy constructed in accordance with the present invention, said toy having a main body which is substantially circular in shape.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a modified form of rolling toy constructed in accordance with the present invention, the main body of the toy being generally oval in shape.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail view similar to Figure 3 but illustrating a further modification of the rolling toy of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the improved toy comprises a main body 11, which may have any suitable shape, for example, may be circular in shape, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the main body being made of suitable rigid material and being relatively thin, as compared with its diameter. The body 11 is formed at its periphery with a relatively deep and narrow groove 13 having the spaced annular substantially parallel side walls 14, 14, the groove 13 extending continuously around the periphery of the body 11. Designated at 12 is a drive rod which is made of substantially flat bar stock and which is shaped to slidably fit in the groove 13, whereby driving force may be applied to the periphery of the body 11 at the bottom wall 15 of groove 13. Thus, the rod 12 may be substantially rectangular in cross section and may be of a width substantially equal to the depth of the groove 13. The end portion of body 12 is formed at its forward edge with a shallow arcuate notch 17 having the same curvature as the bottom Wall 15 of groove 13, whereby the shallow arcuate notch 17 may engage smoothly against the bottom wall 15 when the driving rod 12 is engaged in the groove 13 in the manner shown in Figure 2, whereby the driving force may be applied to the wall 15 while the rod 12 is slidably positioned between the walls 14, 14 of the groove.

2,81 1,812 Patented Nov. 5, 1957 In operation, the driving rod 12 is inserted into the groove 13 in the manner illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, and pressure is applied to the bottom wall 15 of groove 13 at the lower end of rod 12, namely, at the arcuate notch 17, whereby the body 11 is caused to roll along the ground. Since the groove 13 is of substantial depth, and the rod 12 is correspondingly of substantial width, the rod 12 may be employed in conjunction with the inside surfaces of the groove walls 14, 14 to apply braking force, namely, by slightly twisting the rod 12, and also, to apply sidewise turning movement, whereby the body 11 may be guided in different directions. Because of the braking force which may be developed by twisting the driving rod 12, the operator of the toy can control the movement of the body 11 without any direct connection to said body, and the arrangement gives an opportunity for the operator to develop considerable manual dexterity and a high degree of manual coordination in guiding and propelling the main body 11 of the toy.

In the modified form of the invention shown in Figure 4, the main body shown at 11 is generally oval, instead of circular, as in Figures 1 to 3, but operates on the same principle, namely, is propelled by a driving rod 12 which engages in a relatively deep groove 13' provided at the periphery of the oval body 11.

As shown in Figure 5, the main body of the toy designated generally at 21, may comprise three pieces of material, namely two identical outer discs 22, 22 and a smaller intermediate disc 23 suitably fastened between the outer discs in coaxial relation therewith, as by the use of bolts, glue, or the like. For example, the intermediate disc 23 may be one inch smaller in diameter than the outer discs 22, 22. Obviously, the size of the core disc 23 may be varied to change the groove depth and thus to change the speed of rotation of the toy responsive to the application of a given propelling force to the periphery of the inner disc 23.

The toy may be employed as an advertising device by placing advertising information on the respective outer surfaces of the rotating member thereof and on the side surfaces of the drive rod 12.

The rotary member of the toy may be made as a solid casting, if so desired, from any suitable material, such as plastic, or the like.

The shallow arcuate notch 17 of the driving member 12 need not be of exactly the same curvature as the bottom Wall of the groove in the rotary member of the toy and may have a curvature either slightly greater than or slightly less than the curvature of the groove bottom wall. However, the notch 17 should have a curvature of the same order as the curvature of said groove bottom wall.

The rolling toy of the present invention can be operated either indoors or outdoors, can be operated on either fiat or uneven surfaces, can be made to run at any desired speed, and can be operated even on a downward slope, since the operator can exert a braking effect on the rolling member by means of the drive rod 12, and can thus maintain complete control over the rolling member.

Obviously, the main body of the toy may be made of any suitable shape which has a substantially smooth peripheral curvature, whereby the body is adapted to roll on the ground and may be guided in its movement by a driving rod, such as the driving rod 12 disclosed in Figures 1 to 4.

While certain specific embodiments of an improved rolling toy have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim,

What is claimed is:

A rolling toy comprising a flat rigid generally circular body having a substantially smoothly curved periphery, whereby the body is adapted to roll on the ground, said body being formed at said periphery 'with' a relatively deep and narrow groove extending around said periphery and having substantially parallel side walls, and a drive member comprising an elongated substantially flat rod shaped to slidably fit in said groove between said side walls, said rod being formed with an arcuately recessed edge portion engageable with the curved inner surface 4 of the groove in the periphery of said body while the rod is engaged in said groove and of the same order of curvature therewith in a circumferential direction, whereby to apply driving force to said periphery.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED TATES PATENTS 

